Iran
Thanks to the indifference of President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, Iran is well on the way to become a nuclear power. This month, the Russians loaded up Iran’s nuclear reactor with high-grade fuel. That is nothing less than a disaster for the United States.
Telegraph 28th Aug 2010 more >>
Germany
Experts contracted to the German government have rejected the assumption that running nuclear power plants as long as possible would be the country’s cheapest option, according to a government minister on Saturday. The government is in the thick of a debate about extending the legal authorization for nuclear power past 2022. Officials are debating how many years to extend by or whether to extend at all. The outside experts’ report is expected to be made public next week, but Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle jumped the gun, quoting from it in remarks to the weekly business journal Wirtschaftswoche. “The scenarios showed that the macroeconomic benefits from an extension of between 12 and 20 years are greater than the extreme variants, 4 and 28 years,” he said. “That is why we should settle for something in the middle.”
Earth Times 28th Aug 2010 more >>
Trident
The Gurkha regiment could be one of several sacrificed as a result of an increasingly bitter government dispute over defence funding. The Gurkhas have formed part of the British army for almost 200 years, but may be among those cut unless the government meets Ministry of Defence demands for more money to fund the replacement of Trident nuclear-missile submarines.
Last night, hopes for extra funding were fading as the Treasury rejected demands for more money from the defence secretary, Liam Fox, and insisted that the £20bn cost of replacing Trident had to be met fully by the MoD.
Observer 29th Aug 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency
Eaga a FTSE 350 company set up in 1990 to lead government-funded initiatives to improve conditions for poor people in energy-inefficient homes, has come top of the league table for ecological sustainability in the 2010 Observer/Co-operative Asset Management Good Companies Guide. Eaga has been running the Warm Front scheme, which has provided insulation and heating improvement grants to more than 2m homes. Recently, it has begun to diversify into renewable technologies, such as solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity.
Observer 29th Aug 2010 more >>
